5 Home-Made Instruments Anyone Can Make!

"Music should be fun and creative..."

Creating music in a fun and informal way at home has been proven to have a huge range of benefits for children. The best part is, introducing music from a young age does not necessarily mean enrolling your 3 year old in violin lessons (unless they are really keen!). Music should be fun and creative, so why not try these 5 easy home-made instruments to create a little edge to your music experience!

1. Drums

Drumming is the epitome of emotional outlets! They are a fantastic way to channel positive (and negative) emotions. Before buying your toddler or preschooler a drum set, why not open the kitchen cupboard and pull out an assortment of pots and pans. They can go to town banging away with their hands, or you can use different (safe!) kitchen utensils to create different sounds.

2. Maracas

You can create an abundance of sounds with home-made maracas depending on the housing and filling you use. A quick and easy one is to fill a plastic container (with a lid) with dried rice or beans. Alternatively, you can use a glass jar and fill 1/3 with rice, cereal, dried pasta, or beans (etc). Cover the top with cellophane and secure tightly with an elastic band. Shake away and enjoy!

3. Tambourine

This one will probably need a quick trip to the shops as you will need 8 jingle bells to create the tambourine sound. Hand two paper plates to your little one and get them to decorate the back of them in any way they want. Once they are done, staple them together (facing each other) to create the body of the tambourine. Finally, use a hole punch to create 8 holes around the edge of the tambourine, and attach the jingle bells using string or wool.

4. Xylophone

This is one of my personal favourites as it can create such a beautiful sound! Gather 5 or 6 (or more!) glass jars and fill them with different amounts of water (to create more visual interest, use different food colourings to colour the water). The more water there is in the jar, the lower the pitch/sound will be. Simply line the jars up and tap them gently on the side with a spoon!

5. Pan Flute

Homemade pan flutes are great for little Peter Pans! Simply take 5 or 6 straws and cut them at different lengths. Organise them side by side so that the tops are all evenly lined up. They should also go from the longest to the shortest straw. Fasten them together by wrapping sticky tape around them. When you blow into the straws, the different lengths will create different pitches!

So, as you can see, creating instruments at home can usually be made from bits and pieces you can find in the house. Get your child involved in the making of the instrument to create another dimension of fun!